Valentino Rossi is the unofficial King of Mugello, winning at the Italian circuit seven times out of seven appearances at the track. This weekend marks Rossi’s eighth visit to his home track, with all eyes watching to see if The Doctor can win again.

Normally, Valentino would be the heavy favorite on Sunday’s race, but after finishing last for the first time in his MotoGP career at Le Mans a fortnight ago, there might just be a little doubt in the paddock about Rossi’s ability.

Looking forward to redeeming himself this weekend, Rossi commented about his lucky home track:

“Racing at Mugello is something incredible for me, but every year it gets more difficult to keep my record going and seven wins in a row is already a lot! I do feel pressure going there, but at the same time it is always amazing and the fans give me an extra motivation that helps me to perform in a different way there

I hope it’s the same again this year, because after Le Mans I really need a good result! It was disappointing but everyone has the occasional bad day and that was ours. Everything possible went wrong but hopefully that is all our bad luck for now and this time, at our home race, we will be back to our best. I always look forward to this race; it’s very busy for me but I have so many amazing memories. Let’s hope to create some more this weekend.”

Don’t call it a comeback, but on three occasions (2004, 2006 and 2007) Rossi has bounced back from non-podium finishes in Le Mans, with victories at Mugello the following round. Could this weekend make a new streak, with 4 redemptions at the Italian track?

Rossi trails teammate Jorge Lorenzo by a single point in the standings, and is tied with rival Casey Stoner.